The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation eBook

“Intuition,” said Allerdyke, with a laugh.
“Aye, well perhaps Miss Slade’ll have
got so infected with enthusiasm for your business that
She’ll go in for it regularly. This reward’ll
do for capital, you know, Chettle.”

“Ah!” responded Chettle feelingly.
“Wish it was coming to me! I wouldn’t
put no capital into that business—­not me,
sir! I’d have a nice little farm in the
country, and I’d grow roses, and breed sheep
and pigs, and—­”

“And lose all your brass in a couple of years!”
laughed Allerdyke. “Stick to your own game,
my lad, and when you want to grow roses, do it in your
own back yard for pleasure. And here we are—­and
you’d best wait, Chettle, until Miss Lennard
herself gives a receipt for this stuff, and then you
can take it back to Scotland Yard and frame it.”

He left Chettle in an anti-room of Miss Lennard’s
flat while he himself was shown into the prima donna’s
presence. She was alone, and evidently unoccupied,
and her eyes suddenly sparkled when Allerdyke came
in as if she was glad of a visitor.

“You!” she exclaimed. “Really!”

“It’s me,” said Allerdyke laconically.
“Nobody else,” He looked round to make
sure that the door was safely closed; then he advanced
to the little table at which Miss Lennard was sitting
and laid down his parcel.

“Never bought aught of that sort in my life,”
replied Allerdyke. “More respect for people’s
teeth. Here—­I’ll open it,”
he went on, producing a penknife and cutting the string.
“I’ve signed one receipt for this stuff
already—­you’ll have to sign another.
There’s a detective in your parlour waiting
for it, just now.”

“A detective!” she exclaimed. “Why—­why—­you
don’t mean to say that box has my pearls in
it? Oh! you don’t!”

“See if they’re all right,” commanded
Allerdyke “Gad!—­they’ve been
through some queer hands since you lost ’em.
I don’t know how you feel about it, but hang
me if I shouldn’t feel strange wearing ’em
again! I should feel—­but I daresay
you don’t!”

“No, I don’t!” she said as she drew
the jewels out of their wrappings and hurriedly examined
them. “Of course I don’t; all I feel
is that I’m delighted beyond measure to get
them back. You don’t understand.”

“No, I don’t,” agreed Allerdyke.
He dropped into a chair close by, and quietly regarded
the owner of the fateful valuables. “I’m
only a man, you see. But—­I should
know better how to take care of things like these than
you did. Come, now!”